Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament: Weekend of basketball concludes with over 8,000 fans coming to Mohegan

By Zachary Baru

UNCASVILLE - After eight games over two days, the 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament came to an end Sunday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The total attendance for the weekend-long tournament came to 8,320 fans, many of which traveled long distances to support their favorite team.  Patrons throughout Mohegan Sun could be seen wearing their teams' gear all weekend in the casino, restaurants, mall and hotel.

The tournament concluded Sunday evening with the two championship games.  In the first championship, Florida and Purdue battled in the Naismith Bracket before a national television audience live on ESPN2.  Purdue captured the championship topping Florida 85-70.  The Springfield Bracket championship game immediately followed, with Vermont facing Buffalo live on ESPN3.  Buffalo claimed the championship 77-71.

The tournament began with 4,507 fans on Saturday, and concluded before 3,813 on Sunday.

In all, this year's Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament entertained over 8,000 fans with competitive and entertaining basketball all weekend long, giving fans the exciting product they have come to expect year after year at the Tip-Off Tournament.

Special thanks to the Basketball Hall of Fame for their excellent hospitality all weekend.  And thank you as well for reading the coverage here on Western Mass. Sports Biz.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.  He also writes for Sports Business Boston.

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Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament: Once again, Mohegan shines as host to Tip-Off Tournament

By Zachary Baru

UNCASVILLE - If you looked throughout New England of the possible venues for a basketball tournament, none could be more fitting as the perfect host.  This was the case all weekend long, as Mohegan Sun once again proved to be the ideal setting for the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

The 9,323-seat Mohegan Sun Arena provides a modern, intimate atmosphere in an arena that year-after-year welcomes some of the biggest names in music worldwide.  It is consistently ranked as a top venue, winning at the Country Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and at the G2E Global Gaming Conference.

Aside from the arena, hosting the tournament at Mohegan Sun provides a true destination for the fans, media and the families of the athletes.  Mohegan Sun offers more than just gaming, but a luxury hotel and spa, restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping and entertainment.

Between the allure of Mohegan Sun and the accommodations it provides, no other venue in New England could offer a better setting for this event.

Walking through the hotel, plenty of fans and families of the athletes took advantage of the 1,200-room hotel.  In fact, the entire casino was full of fans wearing their teams' colors and making a weekend out of the event.

Glancing around the arena, there were more than just adults and college students.  Fans of all ages could be found throughout the lower and upper levels.  Once again, the Basketball Hall of Fame and Mohegan Sun have put on a first-class event, providing great entertainment all weekend long.

Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament: Day 2 begins with close, competitive consolation games

By Zachary Baru

UNCASVILLE - Don't let the word "consolation" fool you about the first two games of day 2 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.  The games were nothing short of competitive and extremely close throughout the afternoon.  Saint Joseph's captured a 66-64 win over Old Dominion and Niagara edged North Carolina A&T 73-72 at the Tip-Off Tournament's consolation games in Uncasville, Connecticut.

As the majority of the crowds are not expected until later in the day, the crowds for the consolation games were on the lighter side.  But that certainly did not mean the crowds were quiet, as the tight games and the intimacy of the Mohegan Sun Arena made for an extremely enjoyable atmosphere.

As game 2 winded down, Niagara stole the lead from North Carolina A&T, and the Niagara fans let their presence be known.   A good amount of Niagara fans made the trip to Mohegan, as fans from all sections erupted when Niagara captured the lead late in the second half.

The full day of basketball continues at 5:30 p.m. for game 3, when Florida faces Purdue in the Naismith Bracket championship game.  This game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.  Like all games, the game can also be seen live on ESPN3, available on the WatchESPN app and on WatchESPN.com.

The tournament will wrap-up with the Springfield Bracket championship game when Vermont takes on Buffalo at 8 p.m.

Check back for updates of the action from the Mohegan Sun Arena as day 2 of the Tip-Off Tournament continues.

Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament: Day 1 of tournament comes to an end at Mohegan Sun Arena

By Zach Baru

UNCASVILLE - After a full day of basketball at the Mohegan Sun Arena, day one 1 of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament came to an end with 4,507 fans on hand.  The attendance reflected the four games played, Purdue-Old Dominion, Florida-St. Joseph's, Vermont-Niagara and Buffalo-North Carolina A&T.

The majority of the fans came out for the Purdue-Old Dominion and Florida-St. Joseph's match-ups.  Since the games were sold as a session to ticket holders, individual game attendances were not available.  The Florida-St. Joseph's game, however, was the highest attended game of the day.

In the final two games of the day, the attendance died off.  Vermont - the only New England team in the tournament - faced Niagara and Buffalo took on North Carolina to end the day of basketball.

While the event was not a sell out, the Mohegan Sun Arena still provided a great atmosphere for the games.  There are not any bad seats in the intimate 9,323-seat arena, a key reason why the venue has won multiple awards for the top arena in the nation.

As day 1 comes to a close at the Mohegan Sun Arena, there is still plenty more action to come tomorrow.  Day 2 begins with the two consolation games in the afternoon, as Saint Joseph's-Old Dominion tip-off at noon and North Carolina A&T-Niagara begins at at 2:30 p.m.

The night session of day 2 includes the championship games, with Florida-Purdue beginning at 5:30 p.m. and Vermont-Buffalo starting at 8 p.m.  The Florida-Purdue game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.  The other three games will be broadcast on ESPN3, which is available on the WatchESPN app or on WatchESPN.com.

That's a wrap from day 1.  Check back tomorrow for coverage of day 2 right here from the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament: Teams' fans come out to Mohegan to show support

By Zachary Baru

UNCASVILLE - For anyone visiting Mohegan Sun on Saturday, there was no question what the day's event at the arena was.  From the casino, to the mall, to the hotel, the resort casino was filled with fans traveling from all over the country for the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

There did not appear to be any specific team that had a majority of the fans, as the fairly equal levels of support did not give any team much of an advantage over the other.

Walking through the hotel, fans of the various teams were found all over.  This is yet another example of what makes Mohegan Sun such a fitting host for the tournament, as fans traveling to support their team could be accommodated at the hotel just steps away from the 9,323-seat Mohegan Sun Arena.

And who could blame the fans for wanting to come to a destination such as Mohegan Sun?  Between the hotel and spa, restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping, entertainment, and of course the casino, its obvious why fans continue to make the journey to support this first-class event.

A venue that includes an on-site hotel not only makes it easy for fans, but for the many members of the media as well who were on site to cover the weekend-long tournament.

Mohegan Sun's luxury hotel and spa, just a two minute walk from the arena through the retail shops, is 34 stories tall with 1,200 luxury rooms and suites.  Many fans making the trip to Mohegan Sun took advantage of the accommodations, making for a great weekend of basketball in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament: Day 1 begins with decent crowds, good action at Mohegan

By Zachary Baru

UNCASVILLE - As a weekend of Division I basketball begins, the Mohegan Sun Arena proves once again to be a perfect host to the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut.

One has come to expect quality basketball at a first-class venue at the Tip-Off tournament, and the 2015 edition has shown nothing less as Purdue, Old Dominion, Florida and Saint Joseph's all faced off to begin the weekend-long tournament.


The afternoon began with Purdue and Old Dominion tipping off at noon.  Purdue easily held off Old Dominion 61-39 before a decent Mohegan Sun Arena crowd.  Attendance will not be made available until later in the evening, but the arena's lower level was modestly full, while the fans in the upper level were sparse.

In game 2, Florida topped Saint Josephs's 74-63.  The afternoon's second game was played before a slightly larger crowd, although an official attendance was not available at the time of this post.

The four teams seemed to have a relatively even level of support, as no one team dominated the arena.  In the casino, mall and hotel, fans could be found everywhere, further proof of the level of hospitality provided by hosting the tournament at Mohegan Sun.

Check back all weekend long for more updates from the Tip-Off Tournament as Western Mass. Sports Biz will be covering the entire weekend of action right from inside the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Zach Baru can be followed @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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Coverage of the 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament

Western Mass. Sports Biz is proud to be back at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament to cover the weekend-long event from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.  Check back here for analysis and pictures from the tournament all weekend.

The eight-team, two-day tournament will feature all eight games broadcast live on ESPN networks - one on ESPN2, and the remaining seven on ESPN3.  ESPN3 is available on the WatchESPN app or on WatchESPN.com.

The tournament will include eight NCAA Division I men's basketball teams, including Florida, Old Dominion, Purdue, Saint Joseph's, Vermont, Niagara, Buffalo and North Carolina A&T.

The teams will be split into two brackets, the Naismith Bracket and the Springfield Bracket.  The championship game of the Naismith Bracket will be broadcast live on ESPN2 on Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

The 9,323-seat Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut opened in 2001, and welcomes some of the biggest names in music each year.  In 2013 the venue was voted "Venue of the Year" at the G2E Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas and has won "Casino of the Year" at the Country Music Awards in 2008, 2010 and 2013.


This will be the third year Western Mass. Sports Biz has had the pleasure of reporting from the Tip-Off Tournament, and 2015 looks to be another great weekend of Division I college basketball.  If you can't make it, check back here for coverage from the weekend-long event.

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2015-16 UMass basketball season to feature ten televised games between NBCSN, CBSSN and ESPNU

By Zachary Baru

Television exposure does not look to be an issue this season for the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team, as ten games are scheduled to be televised across three different networks for the upcoming season.

NBC Sports Network will broadcast five games in the 2015-16 season, including the 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase at the MassMutual Center on December 5 against Ole Miss.  This will be the fifth year the Hall of Fame has hosted the Holiday Showcase at the MassMutual Center, a great opportunity for Springfield fans to catch UMass basketball downtown.

CBS Sports Network will be carrying four games, including the December 21 game against Providence at the Mullins Center.  This game will be a "maroon-out" in Amherst, with 2,000 students receiving t-shirts.

The lone game on the ESPN family of networks will be televised on ESPNU when the Minutemen host VCU in Amherst on February 11.  This game will be a "white-out" game at the Mullins Center, again with 2,000 students getting t-shirts.

Additionally, an eleventh game will be televised on NESN when UMass visits Harvard in Cambridge on November 17.  This will be the first game of the season to be televised.

What all of this television exposure brings is a tremendous opportunity for the Minutemen to reach fans nationwide, promoting the brand of UMass basketball.  With conferences such as the ACC and Big 10 dominating television, fans of UMass will likely be satisfied with the coverage available during the upcoming season.  For the Minutemen, if they are any less than satisfied, there is one simple ingredient to assuring more airtime - winning.

Zach Baru can be followed on Twitter @zbaru and reached at zachbaru@gmail.com.

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